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Sharp today announced that it has partnered with design firm Frog to create a new user experience for the next wave of Aquos smartphones. Expected to arrive this summer, the Feel UX promises to have a highly customizable interface that integrates features like a personalized lock screen and widgets with real-time weather.
Admittedly, Feel UX sounds identical to other custom user experiences designed for Android, but a peek at the user interface shows us that it looks unlike TouchWiz or Sense UI. The neutral palette and streamlined home screen appear less cluttered than in other Android experiences and the lock screen provides more than simple shortcuts to apps beyond the media gallery and music player.
We’ve yet to see Sharp make much of an Android push in the United States so it’s unclear if we’ll ever see this Feel UX in a stateside retail store. That said, Sharp understands that many Android phones look similar to each other, especially when it comes to lock screens. It’s here that handset makers can hook a prospective buyer by emphasizing that the Feel UX will stand out against other players at it looks unlike other experiences. Rather than applying another layer of widgets and fancy toggles, Sharp’s design is more curated and streamlined from the start.
I’ll be anxious to see if hackers and modders are able to extract the Feel UX to make it available for rooted devices. What’s more, it will be fun to see if anyone “borrows” design cues or features to integrate into their own ROMs and builds for Android.
